[alac-forum] Domain Names Held Hostage: Domain Renewal Policy

["Sandy Schuman" <sschuman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The following is excerpted from a letter I sent to Registrar.com,
March 21, 2004.  It details a policy which enables Registrar.com
to hold domains hostage, preventing registrants from renewing or
redeeming expired domain names without paying extra redemption
fees.

To Whom It May Concern:

This complaint is with regard to your practices regarding expired
domain names.  My desire is for a rapid resolution of this matter
and the re-registration of my domain names at the regular
NameBargain rates.  An explanation of my complaint follows.

First, although you apparently attempted to notify me that my
domain names were scheduled to expire, you used an out of date
email address, which I had neglected to update in your records.
I am disappointed that, after you received an error message from
my previous ISP, you made no attempt to contact me at either of
my then-current domain names.  Certainly, you knew those domain
names were associated with my account, since those names were
registered with you.  An email to sschuman@exedes.com,
info@exedes.com, or for that matter anyuserid@exedes.com would
have pre-empted this complaint.

Second, your policy, as explained in your email message dated
Thursday, 18 Mar 2004, has led to unnecessary and costly delays
in my ability to re-register my domain names.  A full copy of the
email correspondence is appended below.  The pertinent section of
your 18 Mar message said:

"... when an expired domain name has been submitted for deletion
by the Registrar, it will enter into a REDEMPTIONPERIOD following
the Registrars allotted grace period (Register.com allows 35
days).  During this time the central Registry will place the name
on hold for a length of time allowing the Registrar of that name
to "redeem" it on behalf of the Registrant with an associated
fee. Should the Registrant choose not to redeem the domain name,
during the REDEMPTIONPERIOD, the domain name will be deleted and
returned to the pool of available names for registration.

"Since your domain name(s) has passed the 35 day grace period,
Register.com has submitted the name for deletion."

Please note the following:

1. The first line indicates that "when an expired domain name has
been submitted for deletion by the Registrar, it will enter into
a (35 day) REDEMPTIONPERIOD."  This statement indicates that the
act of the registrar submitting for deletion initiates the 35-day
grace period.

2. The second paragraph says, "Since your domain name(s) has
passed the 35 day grace period, Register.com has submitted the
name for deletion."  This statement indicates that expiration of
35-day grace period initiates the act of submitting for deletion.

3. Your email of 17 Mar 2004 indicated that my domain names had
"already expired on 01/31/2004."  If you then submitted these
domain names for deletion, according to Item(1) above, the 35-day
grace period ended on March 6th, 2004, and since then I should
have been able to re-register them.  However, your name search
tool still indicates -- as of March 21, 2004, 50 days after the
expiration date -- that they are both "Taken," preventing me from
re-registering them at the regular NameBargain rates.

4. Item 2 above indicates that you submitted the name for
deletion once the 35-day grace period had passed.  That means the
earliest you would have submitted the names for deletion was
March 6th, 2004, 35 days after the expiration date.  According to
Item 1, March 6th should be the beginning of a 35-day grace
period, which would end April 10th, and I should still be able to
renew these registrations at the regular NameBargain rates.

By any account I should be able to renew these domain names at
the regular NameBargain rates: if you had made a reasonable
effort to notify me that the names were expiring; if the 35-day
grace period ended March 6th; or if it will end April 10th.
Instead, you are holding my domain names hostage for a redemption
fee of $75 each.